If you are looking for the perfect way to use up beautiful summer squash and zucchini, this cheesy tomato and zucchini flatbread is the answer! Flakey crescent dough makes for the perfect base for a cheesy, herby spread, and layers of fresh zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes. With the right amount of cheese and freshness, this flatbread is a delicious main course or appetizer, too! If you're looking for other delicious vegetarian favorites, you'll love my giant stuffed cheesy shells, and fresh lentil tabbouleh!
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👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
A great way to use seasonal produce: This flatbread is a great way to use fresh, seasonal vegetables in a different way than classic side dish recipes. The vegetables are still the star of the show, with a delicious spin!
Beautiful presentation: This flatbread does not only taste good, it looks beautiful too! This makes it perfect for entertaining and impressing guests.
Versatile: The options and add-ons are endless on this flatbread (as you know from my BBQ chicken flatbread). You can use herbs and vegetables that you have on hand or that you prefer.
🥘Ingredients
- Canned crescent roll dough: Canned crescent roll dough is perfect for this recipe, as it adds a delicious, buttery richness to the base of the flatbread that you don't generally get with classic pre-made flatbreads or pizza dough. Canned crescent dough does not require any special thawing or treatment, which makes it especially easy to use. Crescent roll dough is the perfect base for this ham and cheese crescent ring, too.
- Full fat cream cheese: I recommend opting for full fat cream cheese, as when it bakes as a base on the crescent dough, it becomes creamy and smooth. Lower fat content cheeses do not have the same texture to them when heated.
- Mozzarella cheese: Mozzarella cheese is a favorite when it comes to melting. It is mild in flavor, and like a blank canvas that takes on the flavors you pair with it.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Crescent roll dough: You can use frozen puff pastry, or classic pizza dough as a base. For a true shortcut, you can also use a pre-baked flatbread from the grocery store.
- Zucchini and yellow squash: You can opt for all zucchini or all yellow squash, depending on what you can find and what you have on hand. The flavors are very similar, as are the textures.
- Vine-ripe tomatoes: You can use roma tomatoes in place of vine-ripe tomatoes. They have minimal seeds, and are just as meaty.
- Mozzarella cheese: Monterey jack cheese or gruyere cheese are equally as delicious and melt just as well as mozzarella.
🔪Variations
- Pesto: Swap out the fresh dill and scallions for a heaping spoon of pesto in the cheese mixture. This will give the flatbread a delicious Italian twist.
- Meaty: Crisp up some bacon or pancetta for a meaty addition to this flatbread.
- Balsamic: Drizzle with some balsamic glaze for a sweet addition to the top of the flatbread.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the vegetables - Thinly slice the zucchini and tomatoes into rounds. Finely mince the garlic, and zest the lemon.
Preheat oven - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, herbs and seasoning. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined into a uniform spread. [photo 1]
Open the can of crescent roll dough, and spread flat onto a greased or lined sheet tray. Using your hands, pat the crescent roll down, and pinch the perforated lines together to make the dough resemble one large sheet of dough. [photo 2]
Using a fork, poke holes all across the dough, to keep the dough flat while baking. Par-bake the dough for 5-7 minutes, until the dough has lightly browned and has started to set.
Carefully take the par-baked dough out of the oven, and set on a trivet or heat-proof surface. Dollop the cream cheese mixture onto the dough, and carefully spread across the dough to completely cover the dough. [photo 3]
Arrange the slices of zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes in a pattern of your choice. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle the top of the zucchini with sea salt. Bake the flatbread for another 10-12 minutes. [photo 4]
Top with freshly cracked black pepper, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve the flatbread hot or room temperature.
💭 Expert Tips
Use softened cream cheese: You want your cream cheese to be spreadable to avoid tearing the dough. The best way to do this is to take it of the fridge to allow it to soften. If you forget to do this, or don't have the time to do it, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds.
Use cold crescent roll dough: You want to use cold crescent roll dough, so it is easier to spread onto a sheet pan, and doesn't rip apart when you are spreading it onto the sheet tray.
Use full fat cheeses: Lower fat cheese does not melt as well as full fat cheese does. Because the base of this flatbread is mainly cheese based, you want a silky texture, not grainy!
For even slices: Use a mandoline to thinly slice your zucchini and squash into even thickness. This will ensure everything cooks evenly.
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead Instructions
- You can pre-mix the cream cheese spread 2-3 days in advance. I do not recommend mixing it farther in advance, as the fresh herbs will become muted and wilted.
- You can prepare the flatbread 1-2 days prior to when you want to serve. Reheat the flatbread on a sheet tray in the oven, or serve room temperature.
Storing Leftovers
- Store leftover flatbread wrapped in foil or stored in an airtight container, for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
You can freeze zucchini flatbread! As long as the flatbread is wrapped properly in parchment paper and sealed in a freezer-safe bag or container, the flatbread will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.
Puff pastry gets its signature flakey texture by laminating layers of butter into the dough. Crescent roll dough uses a variety of fats and leavening agents for their flakey element. Puff pastry tends to be stiffer than crescent roll dough, which is much more flexible and soft.
📝More Vegetarian Recipes
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Cheesy Zucchini and Tomato Flatbread
Equipment
- Mandoline
Ingredients
- 12 oz Crescent roll dough - cold
- 1 Zucchini - thinly sliced
- 1 Summer squash - thinly sliced
- 2 Vine-ripe tomatoes - thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Cream Cheese Spread
- 8 oz Cream cheese - softened
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese - shredded
- 2 tablespoon Fresh dill - chopped
- 2 tablespoon Scallions - chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic - finely minced
- 1 Lemon - zested
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, herbs and seasoning. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined into a uniform spread.8 oz Cream cheese, 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoon Fresh dill, 2 tablespoon Scallions, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 Lemon
- Open the can of crescent roll dough, and spread flat onto a greased or lined sheet tray. Using your hands, pat the crescent roll down, and pinch the perforated lines together to make the dough resemble one large sheet of dough.12 oz Crescent roll dough
- Using a fork, poke holes all across the dough, to keep the dough flat while baking. Par-bake the dough for 5-7 minutes, until the dough has lightly browned and has started to set.
- Carefully take the par-baked dough out of the oven, and set on a trivet or heat-proof surface. Dollop the cream cheese mixture onto the dough, and carefully spread across the dough to completely cover the dough.
- Arrange the slices of zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes in a pattern of your choice. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle the top of the zucchini with sea salt. Bake the flatbread for another 10-12 minutes.1 Zucchini, 1 Summer squash, 2 Vine-ripe tomatoes, Salt and pepper to taste
✱Recipe Notes
- Use softened cream cheese: You want your cream cheese to be spreadable to avoid tearing the dough. The best way to do this is to take it of the fridge to allow it to soften. If you forget to do this, or don't have the time to do it, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds.
- Use cold crescent roll dough: You want to use cold crescent roll dough, so it is easier to spread onto a sheet pan, and doesn't rip apart when you are spreading it onto the sheet tray.
- Use full fat cheeses: Lower fat cheese does not melt as well as full fat cheese does. Because the base of this flatbread is mainly cheese based, you want a silky texture, not grainy!
- For even slices: Use a mandoline to thinly slice your zucchini and squash into even thickness. This will ensure everything cooks evenly.
Cathleen says
Okay, this looks amazing!! And I love how easy this recipe is! Definitely saving this for later, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
The Sassy Foodie says
Thanks so much, Cathleen! I hope you enjoy it - simple is always a good thing!
Julie Menghini says
Flatbreads make a great appetizer and for our lunch! This flatbread is just gorgeous and pretty enough to chase away the winter blues.
Sunrita says
It is a good tip to spread the dough on the sheet pan. It can be a bit tricky moving it with the topping on. Fun recipe
The Sassy Foodie says
Definitely can get a little tricky, especially with crescent roll dough that has the perforations to cut. Thank you 🙂
Mirlene says
This is one flatbread I can eat all day. Love the fact it's on the healthy side.
The Sassy Foodie says
Thanks Mirlene! It's the perfect balance 🙂
Priya Lakshminarayan says
These flatbreads look so good! Love the way it looks and am sure it tastes amazing!